Page 125 of Consume Me

We share an omelet, and then I drive her back to campus. Cupping her neck, I plant a few kisses all over her face before I dive into her honey mouth.

“Go before I fucking forget why it’s imperative to go to this meeting.”

She opens the door, giggling. That melodious sound is the symphony of my life, one I could never tire of hearing.

Waving at me, she blows me a kiss. I catch it and press it on my chest. My heart is entirely hers.

I love her.

The knowledge doesn’t scare me. It feels like I’m finally catching up to the signals my heart, body, and mind have been sending me for a while now. I don’t just love her emotionally. No, my love runs deeper than that—I love her with every sense and with every thought.

On the drive to the airport, my phone rings, and I connect Kaden’s call to the speakers.

“They won’t be able to refuse our offer, but be careful,” he says.

“I will, and you take care of Mia.”

“You don’t have to ask me that, asshole.”

A heavy silence descends, my guilt wrecking me. “I’m sorry for using Celine, but I thought that was the only way.”

“Now you get it, don’t you?”

“I do, and I would have fucking killed you. So you’re a better person than I’ll ever be.”

“I take you as you are, Blake. We all do, but you have to move past whatever hinders you from accepting that. Nothing you could tell me would change my mind, got it? I need my family intact, and you’re a part of that.”

“I’m not ready to lose her.”

“She will understand. Whatever it is…”

I wish he were right, but if I see that horrified look on her face, and I expect to, it will wreck me. After I finally tasted happiness, I want to drag it out longer.

I already made my decision to stay at whatever cost. If she doesn’t want me anymore, too bad for her. I’ll spend the rest of my life chasing after her.

“Thanks, man.”

“We’re brothers, and that will never change.”

When I hang up, I arrive at the airport. On the tarmac, I step out, and the crew is already waiting for me at the top of the Family jet’s stairs.

“Mr. Sinclair, a pleasure having you on board,” the captain says as the flight attendant welcomes me inside.

Taking my seat, she asks if I want something to drink, but I decline, focusing on the envelope with my name written on it sitting on the table in front of me.

Opening it, I find a note from the matriarch and information about the three guys ruling the Syndicate: Kieran Hunt, Cato Moretti, and Cameron McNamara. I don’t know what I expected, but they are just a few years older than us andhave already amassed unfathomable power in and out of the underworld.

After about an hour, the pilot announces our arrival in Boston. As soon as we land, a black Escalade is waiting for me, the driver standing by with the door open.

We drive for a bit until he parks in front of a glass building tucked away in the forest, away from prying eyes.

At the door, a guard lets me in while others patrol around. Power and money invite people to crave what you have. All the security just shows you can never avoid someone wanting to attack you.

The elevator leads me to the first level, where another guard says, “They expect you, but I need your phone. And I have to pat you down.”

I slap the phone in his hand as well as my dagger. After he pats me down, he shows me to a door at the end of the long hallway.

Entering, I see, from right to left: Kieran, the bank owner; Cato, the mafia heir; and Cameron, the star politician. They’re sitting around a triangle-shaped table––a strange but interesting choice. During my time away, fighting in the underground, I remember hearing someone refer to them as the trio of hell. Their poker faces are spot on.

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